The UON SB20 World Championships will get underway at Hamilton Island this Friday when 42 crews representing nine countries meet for the opening bout in the Whitsunday Islands, at the edge of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Up to three races have been scheduled daily through to the deciding day, Thursday 20 December. Over six days the normally tranquil waters off award-winning Hamilton Island will be peppered with the shouts and cheers of the very serious contenders, including current SB20 European champions, Russian Oleg Zherebtsov and his helm Rodion Luka (Raketa), and former class world champions Geoff Carveth (WKD) and Jerry Hill (sportsboatworld.com), both UK based.

Australia's hopes are riding on a number of proven and hungry countrymen, including Victoria's Chris Dare (Flirtatious), Tasmania's Nick Rogers (Karabos) and Hamilton Island's CEO Glenn Bourke (Club Marine), who fared well in last weekend's non-pointscore pre-worlds.

"We sailed really well on Saturday to win three of the four races then on Sunday Rodion pulled out his big guns and started playing hardball, he was very impressive," said Bourke, who has teamed up with Andrew York on the main and Mooloolaba's Greg Macallansmith on the bow.

Bourke believes that since last year's UK worlds the calibre of the SB20 fleet has lifted. "The top four or five are sailing incredibly in really well-prepared boats. It's going to be pretty tough."

Over 35 years of sailing, Nick Rogers has won seven international regattas and 24 Australian championships."My preparation for the worlds goes beyond racing…we've been out training and tuning the boat another three days a week for months now," said the Taswegian, whose crew for the worlds are young Hobart sailors Michael Viney and George Jones.

Chris Dare from Melbourne was the most dangerous in Hobart at a recent class meet and one of the organisers, Rod Jones, predicts he'll be a top ten finisher.

Bourke meanwhile has his money on a strong finale from Ian Brown (AUS) who has teamed up with London 470 gold medallist Malcolm Page, bowman Klade Hauschildt and Sabot and Flying 11 sensation, 14 year-old Finn Gilbert from Sydney, on One Design Sailing.

One of the more colourful Queensland entries is Mike McLean (Mountain Goat Racing), an Australian Rugby League legend from the mid-1980s and early 90s who played for the Sydney Roosters and Queensland State of Origin. These days he owns Bowen's Grandview Hotel, as featured in Baz Luhrmann's epic film, Australia.

Of the 42 SB20 crews, three will be skippered by women including Russian Olympic 470 and Yngling sailor, Anna Basalkina, Great Britain's Sarah Allen (Sailboat Deliveries), part of the winning crew at the 2008 world title, and Australia's Paris Stowell and her crew of West Australian Aboriginal high school girls on Squalo Bianco.

All crews are now installed at Hamilton Island and many have been out training and cramming to learn the area's nuances. "It's a stunning location, more of a tropical paradise than we had ever imagined and in direct contrast to the UK where it's three or four degrees, grey and rainy," said SB20 class secretary Katie Ashworth this morning.

"For the majority of the gang from Europe, this is their main holiday of the year and what a fabulous destination it is, especially for those with families; there is something for everyone," she added.

The Whitsundays have been blessed with magic sailing conditions for weeks on end, providing the perfect introduction to the area for first-time visitors. The solid breezes are expected to hold for the next couple of days then may peter out, putting the acid test on the world's best sports boat sailors as the mercury rises.

Racing is due to start this Friday 14 December, at midday under instruction from the island's trusted Principal Race Officer, Denis Thompson, and his world class race management team.

Tom Burton (AUS) and Alison Young (GBR) hit the right note in the Laser and Laser Radial at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as they took out the top honours and qualification spots to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.

It was double Australian gold in the Paralympic classes. Matt Bugg (AUS) came out on top in the 2.4mR whilst London 2012 Paralympic SKUD18 gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) were triumphant in the two person keelboat.

Lithuania's Juozas Bernotas came out on top in the Men's RS:X whilst Russia's Stefania Elfutina was triumphant in the Women's RS:X. Both sailors claim the first Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots whilst Jock Calvert (AUS) and Joanna Sterling (AUS) picked up the Oceanic spots for the Emirati finale.

There was some fast paced action in the 49er and 49erFX Medal Races at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) and Maia & Ragna Agerup (NOR) claimed the honours and Abu Dhabi final spots.

A tight group of five young Papua New Guinean (PNG) Laser sailors are stepping up their 2015 Pacific Games competition program using this week's ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. PNG is one of 33 countries represented at the important Oceanic event, the largest Olympic sailing regatta in the southern hemisphere.

Nicolai Sehested (DEN) and his TREFOR Match Racing Team clinched victory today at the Energa Sopot Match Race, Poland, the 10th stage and World Championship Event of the 2015 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT).

There was no stopping current, and five-time ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar today at the Energa Sopot Match Race as he swiftly dispatched his Quarter Final opponent Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) in three straight wins.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) continues to address concerns and is taking steps to ensure the health and safety of all athletes who will be competing in the upcoming Aquece Rio, Olympic Test Event and the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Veteran Polish match racer and America's Cup helmsman Karol Jablonski skilfully played the gusty conditions today to lead the twelve strong field of teams at the end of Day 2 of Qualifying at the 2015 Energa Sopot Match Race.